The Pirate and The Assassin
by Vidia Virgo
Summary: All tales will start with Once Upon a Time, the classic start to an old tale. A tale where the prince fights the villain, slays the beast and saves the princess, all ending with Happily Ever After. Not this one. No Princes who save the girls, No Dragons or Beasts or Monsters, merely two girls. A girl who could rule the world if she only dared to dream that far, and a girl who live
1. Chapter 1

All tales will start with Once Upon a Time, the classic start to an old tale. A tale where the prince fights the villain, slays the beast and saves the princess, all ending with Happily Ever After. Not this one. No Princes who save the girls, No Dragons or Beasts or Monsters, merely two girls. A girl who could rule the world if she only dared to dream that far, and a girl who lived in the shadows. Romance, Pirates, Assassins, a Stubborn Prince and Two Girls.

Kenna Scarlet and Elessia Thorn were their names, and this is there tale.


	2. Chapter 2

p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 36pt; font-family: 'Dancing Script'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"A/spanspan style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"lone in the world, on a small island called Tera, a girl in her 19th year and no home except the one for she shared with a scruffy scrawny cat under the shelter of the old worn out bazaar tents. The cat did not belong to her, just shared the space for a few nights before leaving and never coming back. Kenna was use to be alone, no one wanted to share company with a thief. She only had one possession, a small dagger that her mother left her before she died. Kenna kept it on her at all times, it was all she had left of her family. She made her way in life with her talent-pocket picking and quick loots, of course she'd never been caught. It was easy actually, look around to make sure no one was watching, then flip up the latch or cut a small hole, with the depending on the type of bag it was. Then one by one the coins just happened to fall into People would ask her to steal something for them, and pay her for her services. Sometimes the fee was enough to last her for weeks, others it would barely last her a few days. Many times her skilled little fingers would snatch something for herself too, maybe a few coins or a pretty little silver ring that would catch a hefty price, if you knew where to go. And she did. Sundays would be the day that the merchants, and traders and ships came into town and the streets would be the best day to slip into coin purses and sell her stolen little trinkets./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong id="docs-internal-guid-1c1c7694-9f31-cb8b-5e48-78a83c648075" style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" Ever since the miserable orphanage kicked her out for stealing the vain mistresses crappy jewelry and taking the extra food-if it even deserved to be called food-she had been kicked out onto the streets and to fend for herself. Her thieving had been slow for a while, so any a chance to make any money, she would most definitely take. As long as her tricks wouldn't catch the eyes of the two guards standing watch over the market, at their station. Guards switched every two hours so thieving was placed around the switch. If she got caught, it was a one way ticket to being a slave for the rest of her sad life at the palace, serving the king and his royal pain-in-the-ass-family. They we the reason she had nowhere to go, after the king fired her mother from the kitchen. Her mother had gotten sick and wasn't able to find any other jobs, so when she died, she died leaving Kenna alone, with not a cent to her name. She most definitely didn't want to be stuck here, in this last customer had asked her to kill someone, and that's where she drew the line. It was a wealthy sum, would have lasted her less than a year, but no matter how badly she needed that money, she knew that it wasn't worth risking her getting caught. And if they were offering THAT much money, then it couldn't be a good thing. So when she politely said some very colorful language at them, of course things didn't exactly work out for her in the end. The man ended up slapping her and taking the last bit of money she had. So since then, she hadn't had much luck with finding jobs. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;"br /br /br /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"This Sunday, however, was different from the rest. Grey skies instead of the usual blue, and clouds that brought the promise of rain and strong winds. Three boats made their way through the murky harbor water and docked on the small gangway. One of fine black sail and brown hull stood proudly, named The Widower, another of green with a grey hull called The Shamrock. But the boat that caught her eye, was the one with the scarlet sails and black wood, its name was too far for her to see. A man with a red hat and three feathers stood on deck, the captain, she presumed. Way too fancy to be anyone else, not with a jeweled hilt of his sword. She snuck past the guards stand, through the pathways between the courtesans houses, and behind the first merchants booth. He was selling spices and herbs. Kenna watched as the finely dressed man stepped off and came to the first booth where she hid. Her hands found themselves around a pouch of Lily-of-the-valley powder and she quickly tucked it away before the spice merchant could spot her. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Three pounds of Cinnamon, A vial of Nightshade, A pint of Hemlock, Maybe a pound of Hazelnut?" /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"He hid the two poisons in the middle and kept his voice calm and patient. Why would a captain need poison? /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""How do you intend to pay for all of that?" The merchant responded lazily, letting his voice show that he did not want to sell for a cheap price. The hat came off and the man shook it into his hands. Five gold coins fell and suddenly the merchant was ready to sell. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Would you like me to wrap those for you sir?" He said hastily as he filled the vial with a purple substance and placed it on the table, trying to hurry for those coins. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""/spanspan style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Captain,/spanspan style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" and no, I'll take them like that." Kenna was right, he was the captain and he had money, meaning he probably had more upon that boat. Kenna bumped the table and a vial of red daphne extract fell into her lap. Deadly, and a quick poison. Luckily the merchant was too busy to notice. She peeked up and saw the captain's gaze fall on her. Quickly she ducked back down but it was too late, his boots stood in front of her. /spanspan style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Shit./spanspan style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" She stood up quickly, making sure the vial was tucked away in a pouch on her belt before she stood up. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Well, what do we have here?" His voice sounded amused as she stole a look towards the merchant. He scowled back at her as she returned her eyes back to the captain. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Looking for food." She lied, her voice making it sound honest enough for them to believe. The captain looked her up and down and looked around. He brought his gaze back to her and spoke./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Where are your mother and father, girl?" /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Gone, Dead, probably both." Sass was not the best way to go when she was kind of trapped here. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""So you are an orphan then?" He smiled, not necessarily the warmest smile. She nodded, her green eyes studying the face before her warily. A tanned face it was, with a grey goatee and short grey hair. He looked old, and she could tell by the wrinkles at the corner of his brown eyes, which had bags under them. Tired and yet something about him made him seem young still. Maybe it was the smile or the twinkle in his eyes. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Aren't orphans usually turned in to the guards, and taken to the servants ward?" He now spoke to the merchant who was annoyed that this was taking so long and it was way too hot to be standing around waiting for people to buy things from his booth. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yes, I can go fetch one for you." He looked down on Kenna, watching for any reaction that might seem distressed or nervous. She didn't even try to run, instead she just leaned up against the frame of the tent, waiting for what came next ./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""No I think not, my ship needs a cabin boy, but I suppose a girl will do. What is your name girl?" /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Kenna." /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Have a last name, Kenna?" /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""First name only. I don't remember my last name."/span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Come with me then Kenna, We shall board my ship soon, but for now walk with me through the market as I restock for the journey ahead." The man walked further up the slope and Kenna had to trot alongside in order to keep up. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Well if I am to /spanspan style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"serve /spanspan style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"you then I at least should know your name…." She mumbled for only his ears to hear. Through gritted teeth he spoke. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Grimm, Bernard Leith Grimm." Kenna laughed as he said it, a facial expression of pure joy plastered on her face. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""/spanspan style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Bernerd/spanspan style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"?!" /spanspan style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"More laughing. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""/spanspan style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Leith?!"/spanspan style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"She laughed some more until he shut her up with a fearsome look. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Bern/spanspan style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"A/spanspan style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"rd. With an A. And yes, Leith. It's a good name,strong and sturdy. My father's name actually. Make fun of it again and I'll bet I can get those guards over there to come and get you. Won't be laughing when you are put in with the other unfortunate orphans." She growled at him, said a few colorful words under her breath, but stopped the mockery. They took an hour to walk around the entire market, and he had her carry all of his bags and purchases until they got back to the harbor. By the time they boarded the ship, her arms were aching to drop the bags, but she didn't. This was some kind of test, and if it meant getting out of this sad town, if it even deserved to be called that, then she would not fail. Before going below deck, Kenna looked out at the island of Tera to say goodbye one last time. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" Finally he told her where to put the stock away in and she couldn't feel her arms after she set the parcels down. Grimm came up to her and started running through her duties. A long and endless list of hores that she knew would only make her tense and grumpy./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""In the mornings you will swab the deck and make sure the sails are tied into positions, and then go down and fetch my lunch from the cook. You will have two meals a day, but only after you complete your tasks, understand?" She shook herself out of the day dream she was having and nodded. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Good. And you will be paid and trained to fight, since ALL my crew members need to know how to use a weapon, because one day your life may very well depend on it. First lesson will be tonight after I check with the first mate to set our course. Make sure you know the names of the crew and who is in charge. Report back to me once that is down. Oh and your cabin. Since you are the only female on the ship, you will get your own cabin." He lead her down a few doors and turned the knob to show her what lay inside. A small cot with a blanket or two, and a table with a candle. Not much, but better than the wet ground she had been sleeping on before. She turned to thank him, but he was gone. Sighing, Kenna closed the door and began to make her way around the boat. Her thoughts were her only friends as she asked the names of the crew, humming a little tune as she went. A few of the men were surprised to see a women on board. Wasn't it bad luck to have a women on a ship? It took coaxing to get the names out of the men, for some didn't want to share with this annoying 19 year old girl. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" "First Mate Hark, Second Mate Knoll, Murray, Cardoth, Moriar, Alistar, Nexus, Braum, Darius, Azir, Ezeral, Graves, Kayle, Bronn, and Jeffery." FIve times over she repeated these names until she thought she had them memorized. Finally she knocked on the most embellished door, it could only be Grimms, and it swung open. He smiled and let her in. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Well? What are my crew members names? Starting with my two in command. Begin." He sat down at his desk as she wrung her hands trying to distract her from looking around the marvelous room. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" "First Mate Jasper Hark, Second Mate Knoll, Azir, Cardoth, Moriar, Alistar, Nexus, Braum, Darius, Murray, Ezeral, Graves, Kayle, Bronn." She smiled confidently, her eyes sparkled with a certain sass. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Very good, but you forgot Jeffery Peters." The smile vanished and so did the look in her eyes. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Still your training will commence upon this night. Think fast. Catch." He tossed a sheathed sword at her, slightly smaller than his own, that lay in a black leather sheath at his side. She caught it in her right hand, he raised his thick, furry eyebrows, impressed. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Good. Now Take it out and show me your stance." The sword slide out of its leathery home and it fell to the floor by her small feet. She kicked it away and stood, ready to fight. Grimm walked around her and shook his head. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Poor stance, spread your feet apart more, and put your left arm out. By the end of this, you will know how to fight with both hands, three different kinds of swords, throwing knives and daggers, pistols and guns AND master at all poisons. As a female, you can get away with more than you expect. Mhm…..you will make a fine addition to our crew." Her eyebrows raised as he said part of the crew. Maybe she wouldn't be a cabin girl for long. He smiled at her as she adjusted her grip on the sword so that it was tighter on the handle. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Lesson one. Stick them with the pointy end." He said, seeing if he could get a reaction out of her and he did. She rolled her eyes at him before speaking in an annoyed voice. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""I know which end to use." /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Hark watched from the doorway as this small girl started lessons from this great captain. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Hold it like it is part of your arm. For that is what it must become-A part of you. Now swing." She swung the silver blade down, only for it to meet his blade. Some sparks flew as the metal hit more metal. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Move your feet with the swings. Back. Back. Back. Good." His words flew over her head as she met his swing al almost every time. Only a few times was she knocked down by the flat side of the blade. It would knock the wind out of her but she always got back up. Her energy was endless tonight and she intended to make the best out of this night. He taught her how to block, and parry and swipe. So many things to remember! Don't put your arm there, don't swing now, make sure your hair is tied up so it doesn't get cut off. The list of things to remember was endless and she was sure she was going to forget. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Hours it seemed, that they trained until she could not hold the blade up any more. It fell and clanged to the ground and Grimm glanced at her young face. Tired and worn. He could see the exhaustion in her eyes so He finally stopped hitting and attacking her, so he stopped and took a breath, worn out. A few cuts, one on her arm and one on her cheek, reminders not to fail to block next time. They weren't bad, and probably would scab over by the morning. Didn't matter if they did or didn't really, wasn't going to kill her if she bleed a bit. Kenna handed the beautifully crafted sword back to Grimm, handle first, but he shook his slightly grey head. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Keep it. You've earned it tonight, but do not expect other nights to be as easy as tonight. I expect you to be wearing that sword every day, no matter what. You never know when it could come in handy." Kenna tucked the silver sword back into its cold sheath and hooked it onto her worn leather belt in the spot where a sword never hand hung before./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" "Tonight was easy? Mhm can't wait for the next lesson." She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Grimm eyed her dirty clothes, knowing she couldn't be comfortable. They looked to be her only clothes. . The red skirt was fine, as were the boots, but the shirt was torn and filthy. The corset looked worn and old and some of the hooks were close to falling off. Grimm handed her a sack of gold coins and she was surprised at the weight it carried./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""And we must do something about those clothes. Your skirt is fine as are your shoes, but it is unacceptable for a girl to wear a shirt like that with a corset that is practically falling off." He walked over to his closet and rummaged through it for a bit. Finally he tossed her a small white blouse and a thick wool black cloak with a silver clasp, they looked like her size. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Change into that for now. When we dock next, I expect you to have a new set of clothes, that includes a corset and a cloak. Use that money to pay for it. It can get cold at night her out on the rough sea, especially during winter." There was a kindness in his gruff voice that hadn't been there before, and she found it quite warm and comforting. Her tired feet lead her to the heavy wooden door and her sore hands opened it./span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Oh and Kenna?" She turned back to look at him, the moonlight hitting those green eyes perfectly, making them seem almost reptilian. /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Welcome aboard The Shadow Queen." /span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"br /br /br /br /br /br /br /br /br /br /br /br /br /br /p 


	3. Chapter 3

Kenna woke to a banging on her cabin door. She sat up groggily rubbing her eyes and mumbled.

"Whattimeisit?" All in one word. Stumbling across the floor she opened the door, only to find Hark, the first mate, standing there with a small platter of food. A few slices of bread, and some fruit. Her eyes widenas she snatched the tray out of his hands. This was more food than she had all week! Hark's grey eyes watched her intensely as she devoured the food like no one had ever done before, least not in his presence, and well, it made him uncomfortable. As she finished, Kenna looked up at Hark, her eyes gleaming and she was full, for the first time in forever.

"Um, Captain wants you to head down to where the weapons are and polish those, then head up to his cabin for another lesson." He turned around and walked away swiftly as Kenna put her belt on and made sure her sword was attached before pulling her boots on and lacing up her corset. Then she stumbled out and the sun greeted her by blinding her. Down the stairs and around the corner to the large room where all the weapons were kept. She reached for the locked door, and not to her surprise, it was unlocked, probably by Grimm. She walked in the door and found a pail of water and wetstone waiting for her by the door. Great. She picked the pail up and walked to the back of the room where she set it down and began her long day work.

Her eyes grew weary and heavy around hour three of sharpening those damn blades. _Maybe if I just close my eyes for a bit…..get some rest, then I'll come back and finish it all…_ Her eyes closed finally and her hand dropped the whetstone on the floor with a clatter. Her mind took her to another world that she had created in her head, a way to escape the cold miserable reality that she had to face on those streets back on Tera.

" _Kenna!" Her mother's sweet voice called from a distance. Kenna stood up and looked around desperately for her mother, but she couldn't see her anywhere. Her heart pounded as she heard that voice for the first time in forever. It had neem ages since the last time she had heard it._

" _Mama!" She called and raced around the dark area blindly, stumbling over something that she couldn't see. Kenna fell on her face, she got back up quickly. A soft glow came from the corner and Kenna turned to look at it. Her mother's face was basked in the candles light, a smile that was brighter than the light itself, was spread across the face. The beautiful brown hair cascaded down her back, and the womens grren eyes were just like her daughters. Kenna found herself a young girl once again, needing her mother. The young girl raced to her mother and crumpled at her feet._

" _Mama…...I miss you."She hugged her mothers feet and tears slipped from those emeralds in her eyes, falling onto her mothers white dress. The woman stroked her daughters silver hair and started to sing a soft melody, a lullaby._

" _Don't cry little one now, soon the moon will rise again,_

 _Close your eyes and let the slumber fall,_

 _Dreams will come and fill your sleep,_

 _Listen to my words and dream,_

 _Sun will come and soon you'll wake."_

 _Kenna's head fell into her mother's lap and there she slept._

She woke to the pail clanging to the ground and she jumped up. Quickly she rushed to finish the metal filled room. It took her six hours to finally complete the whole room and by the time she was done, it probably was too later for her lesson with Grimm. Kenna didn't want to think about the dream she had, her mother was gone and she knew it. Any thought of her made her sad. The girl closed the door and headed up to the captains room where she found Grimm standing if front of his desk, with his hands behimd his back and a smug look on hus face. Kenna raised an eyebrow as he stepped awswide to reveal five vials on his desk, all lined up in a row.

"I want you to tell me what these are, but do not taste them or digest them." Kenna walked forward and picked up the first bottle. It had a distinct smell that was sharp and made her eyes burn.

"Belladonna?" She put the vial down as Grimm nodded. On to the next one, A purple powder, with a hint of green.

"Foxgloves." A pale liquid with no smell.

"Oleander" A juice froma red berry.

"Nightshade" And the last one she didn't know. A small bottle containing a purple leaf.

"Wolfsbane." Grimms gruff voice said in her stead, She swirled the leaf around in the bottle.

"Not deadly for humans, but painful for sure. "

He handed her a small kit and she opened it. Inside was a variety of vials, powders, bottles and berries. Her eyes found his as she wondered What On Tera she could possibly use these for.

"Know these, learn these, use these. Everyone on my crew knows their poisons by the smell, color and by what they do to others. Here is a list of the one in your kit, figure out which ones are more deadly and which ones can kill." He smiled at Kenna as she closed the box and took the fine printed list.

"Then tomorrow we will see how well you know these by testing them on a man who tried to kill me. The punishment for trying to kill the captain is death, always death. Do you understand?" Kenna nodded hastily, before asking a few question.

"He tried to kill you? Why did he do that?" Her curiousity was getting the better of her and she didn't care anymore. Grimm looked up at her and leaned up against his desk as he spoke grimly.

"Because believe it or not, people hate me. It probably because we ARE pirates, we DO plunder and rob and loot, but we must make our way in the world some how, and this is the way I chose to live. It works doesn't it? I'm rich, I have a ship, and people fear me enough to stay away from me, or in this case, TRY to kill me." More questions arose in her mind and she blurted them out.

"Why are you training me? Why are you telling me things like this?" He didn't answer her question, but simple went on talking.

"Since he failed to kill me, his death shall be painless. Figure out which poison kills quickly and then make your selection. Here is a book on the herbs that you have now. I expect you to read this tonight. Get this test right and you don't have to swab the deck tomorrow. I'll have Graves do it." She took the grey covered book and her fingers slowly traced the faded words on the cover.

 _Poisonous Plants and Uses_

"You still didn't tell me why you are teaching me these things…." Her voicce was strong and confident. Grimm stopped and turned aroud to face her.

"I see potential in you, more than my other crew, you remind me of a young version of myself. Except the fact that you are indeed a female, but the same recklessness, and curiosity. You wanted to get out of the mess you were in and I offered you a chance. Curiosity made you take it, same thing I would have done. " He walked past her and out onto the deck.

"Turn the ship to Starboard!" She heard him call and felt the boat move to his command. Her hands touched the feathers on his red hat that lay on his des alongside a few maps of where they were headed. Kenna looked to see if Grimm was still on deck before going behind the desk and taking a look at the route they were on. Her eyes widened as she saw their destination. The Sapphire Isles. Home to the healing pools of pure sapphire. It was said the pools had a surronding of crystals and sapphires, and the pools waters were as blue as the gems themselves, make the water look beautiful. The legend said that the pools could heal any wound or illness, or even bring back death. It was a story her mother would tell her to go to bed at night when she was younger. But it was hidden, guarded by secrets and tunnels and caves. No one had found the pools yet and if Grimm was the first, then he would be a legend. As would his crew….and her.

"I see you've found our destination. Curiosity indeed." Hark leaned up against the door frame with a piercing look in his eyes. She whirled around at the sound of his voice and she nearly knocked a bottle off the desk. So he had been listening wehm Grimm and her had been talking. How rude.

"It was just there. If he didn't want me to see then he shouldn't have left it in plain sight. And next time why not just come in and join in on the converstaion instead of putting your ear up against the door." She marched past Hark with her poisons and book and went straight down to her little cabin to study and begin her training on poisons. He watched her leave, a smirk on his face. She was fun to aggravate.

She didn't sleep, just stayed up all night, associating the poisons with their names and colors and smells. Some smelled. Some didn't. It was hard to figure out which one would be less painless for the man tomorrow. It came between a few of them. Oleander, Belladonna,Hemslock and the daphne berry extract. Both were liquids meaning it would go down smoothly but it was hard to figure out which would be less painful. Her eyes scanned the books to find what she was looking for.

 _ **Oleander**_

 _ **Oleander plants contain several toxic elements, including cardiac glycosides, saponins, digitoxigenin, oleandrin, oleondroside, nerioside and other unknown toxins. These poisons are found in all parts of the oleander plant and are toxic whether the plant parts are dried or green. Ingestion of any part of the oleander plant can lead to serious illness and possibly death.**_

Hmm, MAY cause death. That ruled out that one. It couldn't be something that would make the man be in pain, had to be quick. Now onto belladonna, a common poison, A few pages more until the next one.

 _ **Belladonna**_

 _ **The symptoms of belladonna poisoning include dilated pupils, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, tachycardia, loss of balance, staggering, headache, rash, flushing, severely dry mouth and throat, slurred speech, urinary retention, constipation, confusion, hallucinations, delirium, and convulsions.**_

Nothing about death, however, and yet all of the symptoms seemed very painful. So that wouldn't work at all. Kenna crossed Belladonna off her list and continued onto her next poison. She flipped through a few more pages until she found the one she wanted.

 _ **Hemlock**_

 _ **Several poisonous plants in the**_ _ **Apiaceae family**_ _**Conium**_ _ **, two species, one formerly used as a method of execution**_ _ **Conium maculatum**_ _ **, or poison hemlock**_ _ **Cicuta**_ _**(water hemlock) Oenanthe crocata (**_ _ **water dropwort**_ _ **)**_ _ **Tsuga**_ _ **, a genus of coniferous trees which resemble the poisonous plant, but are unrelated.**_

Her eyes re-read the paragraph just to make sure that she read it correctly. That was it! Hemlock was the correct answer. She closes her book and grabbed the small vial of hemlock extract and went up the stairs to Grimms office. She knocked and he opened it slowly.

"Hemlock. That is the poison to use." She said hastily and handed him the bottle. He took it and looked at the content.

"Well shall we see if you are right little miss?" He suggested and they both headed out on dec, where the crew was waiting with a man who was on his knees. His eyes widened as he saw the captain walked down the stairs, dressed in his fine coat and hat. He was confused as to why there was a little girl trailing behind him with a book and a vial.

"My men! This man here has been accused of attempted murder! What is the punishemnt?" His voice echoed loudly across the ship as the men responded.

"Death!" They cheered back. Grimm smiled and ushered Kenna forward.

"And since we are not cruel, he shall die quickly and painlessly. Our young protege Kenna here, has done us the favor of picking the poison. Shall we see if she got the right one?" He said maliciously and held out a silver cup. The men cheered and Kenna pulled the cork from the bottle, but before she poured it into the cup, she looked around. The men were all waiting for her to pour it in. But this wasn't any better than the man who had asked her to kill the person before and she had refused. This man's life was in her hands, she decided if he lived or died. She wanted to be here and be part of the crew. This was a test. Her heart beat fast as she decided. The liquid fell out of the vial and into the cup. Grimm held the cup out to the man.

"You can die a coward or die brave. Your choice." At least he was giving the man a chance, it was fair of him to allow the man to choose how he died. Kenna looked into the eyes of the man and she saw the courage and bravery. He took the cup, stared right at the captain, and downed the toxic liquid in one swift swig. The metal cup clattered to the wooden floor and everyone watched and waited for him to die. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell. The man did not get back up once he fell. Grimm clapped Kenna on the back and smiled.

"Well done Girl. You chose the right one. Graves!" He called over to a tall, bulky man with one eye.

" It's your turn to swab the deck., Kenna has earned a break for now." Grimm took off his hat and placed it on her head. She adjusted the red hat as it slipped past her eyes. She smiled back at him and felt something new inside her. Not guilt, no it was something powerful. Taking a life was not as bad if they deserved it. A new confidence had taken root in her and she planned on letting it grow. As Grimm walked up the stairs, he turned to her and spoke.

"Scarlet looks good on you…" His brows fuddled, as if he was thinking about something.

"Scarlet…..Kenna Scarlet."

He had found her a last name.


	4. Chapter 4

Elessia ran through the forest, her flame red hair tucked away in a messy braid, falling a little bit longer than her shoulder blades. Her feet knew the way, they had been here before countless amounts of time when she was younger. Her sapphire eyes sneaked a peek behind her and what she saw made her run faster. The three men on horses chased her through the forest for one reason: She killed the King of Harrek. Elessia's pointed ears picked up the sound of the hounds and she gracefully leaped over the fallen tree that lay in her path. The black nighttime was almost over and the sun was on its way, back to lighten up the world.

******  
A FEW HOURS EARLIER

Elessia sharpened her dull blade in the flickering candle light corner of the rickety tavern by the sea. Her eyes flickered to the clock, the man was an hour late, and still hadn't come in yet, and she did not have patience for late. A shady figure that was sitting across the room at a table caught her attention. He seemed to be watching her and it set her teeth on edge. She pulled her blue hood down farther, trying to cover her pale face even more than it already was. No use, but it didn't matter anyways. Everyone knew who she was, not by face necessarily by her looks, but more of by her name.

The creaky door of the tavern opened and her _late_ appointment walked in, his thick cloak drenched with rain from his travels. His heavy footsteps made the floor shake as he walked over to her dimly lit corner table and he sat down across from her, looking for her face in the shadows of her hood. Her eyes were distracted by the shady figure getting up and walking out, his back turned to her so that she couldn't see his face. Elessia's face turned to look at her customer and he spoke at last.

"So can you really do it?" Elessia raised her eyebrow.

"Can I really do _what_?"

"Kill any one without anyone figuring out who it was?"

"Everyone knows it was me when it is done cleanly and quietly. But _No,_ they will not know that it was you who asked for them dead. Now who is it you want me to rid you of?" The man seemed nervous as he waited to say the name.

"The name man, I need a name." She scowled. He was taking way to long to tell her ad her patience was already gone when he had made her wait for him. Now she was just pissed.

"Florian Harrek." He pushed it out of his mouth and then fiddled with his hands as he waited for her repsonse. She stood up.

"Are you mad?!" She hissed at him.

"The king?!" He nodded grimly, serious in every corner of his face.

"Why him?" She sat back down and listened to his reason. It had better be a good one for a task this risky, one that she migth get caught on.

"The peasants need a revolt, the king is a disgrace to the royal line and we need a reason to fight back. No one better than you to do it….unless you're afraid. In that case then I'll just go and take my money with me." He stood up and turned to go. Elessia knew exactly what he was doing, others had done it to her countless amounts of time, but it still got to her.

"Fine! I'll do it, but if I get caught, then I'm taking you down with me." The man tossed two large sacks of coins onto the table and as soon as they touched the wooden surface they disappeaed into Elessia's cloak pocket. He walked away from the table and out the door after completing his busniess with the assassin.

It was night, easy to slip into a heavily guarded palace. The black cloak on her back made her part of the shadows and no one would notice a shadow. Her task was simple- Kill the King. He was a treacherous old goat who denied a request for troops in the southern hemisphere, a kingdom under attack. When he denied, he lost the respect of the whole southern part, the people and practically everyone. The Capital was Harrek, meaning he ruled over everyone, and when the whole town asks you to kill someone for the better of the people, then it's probably a good idea. Plus she was the best assassin, and every one knew that. The name Elessia Thorn was a well known one, and a deadly one too. If Elessia was coming after you, then you were a dead man. Her fingers picked the locks on the window with the hairpins she had brought, and she slipped in without a noise.

Elessia's hood stayed on as she crept through the castle halls, lurking in the darkness. A few guards walked past her, murmuring about the prince and his new horse that was as stubborn as he is. The prince, young in his twenties, was spoiled rotten and everyone knew that. His golden curls and blue eyes made his seem desirable to every maiden who saw him. But as soon as they got to know him they all ran away, never looking back. Of course it made Elessia curious enough to see this so called "Dreamy" boy, and now would be a good time. Might as well since she was in the castle looked through the halls and finally found his room. She knew it was his because of the silver engravings on the oak door. _Nice._

She picked the lock and took a peek inside. There he was, laying on a red bed, huge and royal enough for a prince. There were gold statues holding up the canopy and they were women, dressed like goddesses. Each one was life sized and probably weighed a Prince lay under the red silk covers which probably cost a fortune, sleeping like a newborn babe. He did indeed have golden curls that rolled down his face, and framed it quite nicely. She could see why the girls went crazy when they laid eyes on him. His piercing blue eyes opened and she froze, thank god her hood was on. The prince rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up as she backed away a few steps and waited for his anticipated cry for help. But it didn't come at all, which suprised her.

"Who are you?" he said, his voice very sleepily and tugged at his messy hair which was tousled in his sleep, probably by his silk pillow.

"El-laria. " She quickly fixed her mistake by using a false name to cover her identity and he smiled.

"What are you doing in my room Ellaria? And dressed like that ?" He pushed the cover and swung his legs over the side of the bed and he stood up.

"None of your busniess." She leaned on one of the golden women statues on the far side of his bed.

"I'm Cal by the way." He held out his hand and she pushed ti away.

"I know dumbass...you're the prince." He looked shocked that she called him that, he was royalty and all. She started to walk away but he spoke again, making her stop in her tracks

"You didn't tell me why you were here." His voice sounded more awake and serious now. She turned to him and her eyes glimmered in the moonlight as she spoke.

"I'm here to kill your father."

Her honesty went through him like a knife.

" _ **Kill my father?"**_ HIs voice was more quiet now that she had told him why she was here.

"Go ahead, call for your guards, scream. I'll kill you if you do." SHe took out her knife and started picking the dirt out of her nails with the tip of it.

"I'm not going to stop you." His response suprised her completly and she walked over to where he sat on the bed.

"You aren't?Why not? It's your father, the man who raised you." Cal chuckled and walked over to his table where he poured himself a cup of wine. He offered her a glass but she shook her head. She didn't drink anything that she didn't pour herself, poison attempts on her life before.

"Take your hood off Ellaria." She raised an eyebrow but slowly did as he said. He watched her hair fall out of the hood and spill around her shoulders. Her blue eyes stared at him as he he smiled.

"Not bad for a murderer. Quite pretty actually." He swirled the wine and finished it before speaking.

"My father, yes. He is the one who created me but that does not mean he is my father. He is anything but that. He does not care for me. He makes me seem spoiled and arrogant as he is." Cal unbuttoned his silk silk shirt and opened it to show her a nasty scar that ran from his right chest down to his stomach.

"Did you know that he gave me this scar when I was 13 because I spilled wine over his tunic?" Her eyes followed the white scar down and back up to his sapphire eyes.

"So go ahead. Kill him. I won't tell. His room is down the hall, third from my mothers. Good luck." He buttoned up his shirt and went back to his soft comfy bed.

When Cal turned back to say goodbye to the assassin, there was no one in his room, just the open doors that lead out to the hallway. He laid down on his goose feather pillow and closed his eyes.

Elessia pulled her hood back up and snuck down the hall, three doors down the hall from the queens, until she found the Kings room. She opened the massive door and pulled her silver knife out and stood above the King where he lay in his fine bed. The moonlight hit the knife, flashing a spark of silver across the room as she brought it down into his chest.

He died without a sound.


End file.
